In the Anthropocene, water resources are under unprecedented stress. To address these challenges and develop actionable, sustainable solutions, we need a thorough understanding of not only the hydrological cycle but also its interactions with other complex physical systems and social dimensions. To do this effectively, we need to move beyond a “science-as-usual” approach and leverage transdisciplinary knowledge. This includes actors such as scientists, policymakers, local communities and indigenous peoples, NGOs and local associations, media, and businesses. Each of these brings a unique perspective and expertise, and we must value their contributions not simply as sources of information or data, but as knowledge holders and active contributors to problem framing, knowledge production, solution development, and decision making.

Practices such as co-creation can help bring these different forms of knowledge into dialogue, make assumptions and uncertainties explicit, identify conflicts and synergies, and collectively explore alternative pathways towards, to arrive at integrated solutions for complex water management issues. This vision fits within the framework of the IAHS HELPING decade, which emphasises bottom-up approaches that recognise and empower local stakeholders and local know-how.

This session welcomes studies on co-creation approaches in hydrology and water resources management. More specifically, we welcome studies including, but not limited to: experiences and case studies of participatory and co-creation approaches applied to hydrology and water resources management; co-modelling approaches and socio-hydrological studies involving participation of stakeholders; the role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in facilitating or transforming co-design; meta-analyses, review of other experiences, and literature reviews; critical geography, political ecology, new conceptual frameworks, and other critical approaches to co-creation and stakeholders involvement in water resources decision making.

Co-organised by the Working Groups on Co-Creation of Water Knowledge and Citizens and Hydrology (CANDHY) of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences:
https://iahs.info/Initiatives/Scientific-Decades/helping-working-groups/co-creating-water-knowledge/
https://iahs.info/Initiatives/Working-Groups/Candhy/